Tennessee man quits high-paying tech job to build Harry Potter-inspired homes. Now, his $700,000 fantasy cottages earn up to $700 a night

Harry Potter fans, what if someone told you that you can live in Harry Potter-themed cottages? While the hospitality industry is booming with such unique stays, one such accommodation in Tennessee seems to have outdone itself. Born out of the mind of Justin Kersey, a former tech professional from Tennessee, these fantasy-like cottages cost him approximately $700,000 to build. But now, they have become a sought-after escape for visitors, with nightly rates reaching $700 and almost 90 per cent occupancy.

Tennessee man quits tech job

Justin Kersey earned a bachelor’s degree from Towson University and an MBA from Duke University before working as a consultant and delivery manager for companies including UPS, Tractor Supply and S&P Global, as per a report by People magazine. But he was always seeking opportunities beyond the corporate world.

After quitting his tech job, Justin, 40, and his uncle Joe McCarthy found a commercial lot near Pigeon Forge and decided to turn it into a vacation rental featuring traditional park-model houses. But their plan changed, and they agreed to make the properties more immersive, drawing inspiration from popular books and movies.

Inside the Harry Potter-themed houses

Eventually, Justin and Joe started the Mountain Shire Fantasy Houses, which now includes 3 Harry Potter-styled cottages. The 3 cottages are designed on the idea of the 3 Harry Potter characters - Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood.

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While the Wizard’s Retreat takes cues from Harry and Ginny, the Wizard’s Library is inspired by Hermione and the Wizard’s Herbarium from Luna. Justin experimented with Tudor-Gothic and Appalachian architecture and it worked wonders.

More details of the Harry Potter-inspired houses

Inside, visitors can find rustic bookcases, sleeping nooks, custom chandeliers, antique furniture and suspension nets coupled with whimsical elements like potion bottles, fairy villages, gnome dioramas and murals, as seen in the Harry Potter movies. Justin paid special attention to lighting and decorated the cottages with torch and fairy lights.

Justin revealed that each cottage took nearly a year to complete, costing about $700,000, with custom interior carpentry accounting for the largest expense. Justin’s reward was that the finished cottages rented for around $250 to $700 per night, with special occasions like Halloween, Christmas and New Year’s Eve among the most expensive dates, while late January and February fell into the lower season.